VxRail Reviews

Name: VxRail
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4 (128 reviews)

Vendor: Dell Technologies

4.3 out of 5

128 reviews
93% willing to recommend

4,498 followers

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What is VxRail?

VxRail is a hyper-converged appliance based on VMware virtual SAN Software and is jointly engineered and built with VMware, for VMware, to enhance Vmware. VxRail software-defined architecture simplifies compute, storage, virtualization, and management. It will safeguard performance, reliability, and flexibility across your organization with a broad range of workloads and applications from business-critical to next-gen. With VxRail, you are covered.

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VxRail is the #1 ranked solution in HCI Software. PeerSpot users give VxRail an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. VxRail is most commonly compared to Veeam Data Platform: VxRail vs Veeam Data Platform. VxRail is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 60% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 15% of all views.

Helped 814,763 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Sushil MIshra

AG at SIS.

We mainly use it for virtualization across all our applications. We also have a DC/DR setup based on the VxRail infrastructure It's a trouble-free architecture. We don't have to juggle multiple components like in a traditional three-tier architecture. With VxRail, it's a pre-built solution…

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Christian Schulte

Leiter IT at Deutsche reihenhaus ag

While any other server deployment system could have achieved similar results, VxRail's key benefit has been simplifying the process for our team, reducing their management and update workload. It offers a hassle-free, complete package, comparable to what a traditional storage-plus-server solution of similar size would provide. Considering our organization's size and comparing VxRail's manageability for VMware to traditional approaches, I'd rate it a nine out of ten. It eliminates concerns about update dependencies, offering a significant improvement over conventional solutions for us. While I'm aware of VxRail's energy consumption, I lack a direct comparison to other systems. That said, I'd characterize its power usage as surprisingly low. This became evident during our move to a new building with a dedicated server room last year. Planning for air conditioning and power supply, considering VxRail's needs, turned out to be much simpler than anticipated. However, I wouldn't be able to quantify this observation without comparing it to other systems' power consumption. Our production environment differs from traditional setups, and we fortunately have ample time windows for maintenance. This makes it difficult for me to definitively say whether VxRail has reduced unplanned outages. However, the update process itself is a significant improvement. Compared to the traditional infrastructure I'm used to, which often involved extended periods of downtime, VxRail has streamlined the process, allowing us to schedule maintenance within manageable timeframes. Compared to the traditional approach, I'd rate the impact VxRail has had on our business flexibility as a nine out of ten. This translates to no longer worrying about dependencies. Updates no longer require fretting about order or compatibility; instead, I receive a comprehensive package ready for application. The improvement over conventional solutions has been significant. While VxRail's impact on our core business is minimal due to our size, it has significantly improved the IT team's flexibility and efficiency, indirectly benefiting the overall organization. Our current needs don't necessitate rapid scaling or high flexibility.

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JillurRahman

Head Of Information Technology at Islamia Eye Hospital

The tool is an HCI. We use it in our organization. We have implemented the product in our DBC environment The solution is good. The solution has simplified our operations. It integrates everything into the same place. All our network, storage, and computing tools are integrated together. It is…

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VxRail mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of VxRail in the HCI category stands at 21.2%, down from 21.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

HCI

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Oct 31, 2024

Valuable Features

VxRail's most valuable features include easy upgrades and centralized management through VxRail Manager, seamless integration with VMware, hyper-converged infrastructure, and built-in vSAN. Its automation capabilities enhance system performance and efficiency, while providing high availability. Users appreciate its scalability, rapid provisioning, and ease of use with single-console operations. The system offers significant IT resource optimization, saving time and costs while simplifying deployment, management, and lifecycle operations. The one-click upgrade feature is particularly beneficial for organizations.

"VxRail supports straightforward scaling, allowing you to add as many nodes as needed for upgrades and simplifying the upgrade process."
"One of VxRail's most valuable features is its small footprint in the data center. Additionally, the solution's simplicity is a significant advantage. You don’t have to configure or learn about storage software and administer many things separately. You can do all the administration jobs in one pane, bringing agility and simplicity."
"This solution ensures uptime, providing 100% availability so servers can operate without downtime.It works with VMware on the software side. The solution also has AI capabilities.The solution is stable.The solution is scalable.Customer service and support is more than satisfactory.It is easy to deploy. It can be done within a couple of hours.Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten."

Room for Improvement

VxRail faces challenges with integration and compatibility, especially with VMware, and desiring better support and shorter update processes. Users report high costs and complex licensing. They seek enhanced storage options and automation alongside quicker deployment of patches, stronger integration with Dell EMC products, and improved support services. Scalability and more flexibility in configuration and hardware support are needed. Users want a simplified setup and upgrade process to ensure better efficiency.

"There's a specific procedure to follow when shutting down a VxRail system."
"There is an area for improvement with VxRail, specifically the upgrade process. Upgrading the is quite complex and almost exclusively requires Dell support. You can't do it alone, so you need to have support contracts running, which could be streamlined to improve the solution."
"During upgrades, some aspects get broken, requiring us to follow up with the VMware team to fix them."

ROI

VxRail enables cost savings through reduced physical footprint and electrical consumption, easing management and backup processes while enhancing the agility of hybrid cloud environments. It streamlines administration by consolidating infrastructure, cutting power usage, and minimizing manpower. VxRail significantly boosts application uptime, leading to improved ROI. It is highly valued internally for scalability and resource optimization, providing substantial time and operational efficiencies. Users appreciate the reduced downtime and enhanced performance within their infrastructures.

Pricing

VxRail pricing is generally considered high, especially for small to medium-sized businesses, but it comes bundled with VMware licensing, which simplifies the setup. The appliance integrates most licensing costs, reducing the need for additional purchases. Enterprises typically pay $200,000 or more for a starting configuration, often finding it comparable to other hyper-converged infrastructure solutions like Nutanix, yet many still negotiate favorable terms. While some find the costs justified, others hope for more competitive pricing options.

"VxRail does raise the price, but overall, it's well-priced. It's not more expensive than other similar solutions. If you were to create an in-house, tailor-made solution, you could potentially do it at a lower cost. However, I think a fully integrated solution like VxRail should be priced appropriately."
"The solution is on the higher end of the price range."
"The product is expensive compared to other solutions."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations use VxRail for on-premise infrastructure, VDI deployment, and application hosting. It simplifies IT for SMEs, enables scalable virtualization, and consolidates compute and storage in a single platform. Businesses utilize it for server management, cloud integration, and infrastructure modernization. VxRail supports diverse sectors, including banking and oil, providing hyper-converged infrastructure, server virtualization, and data center consolidation with VMware compatibility. It's favored for its ease of deployment and efficient management across multiple environments.

Service and Support

Customers praise VxRail customer service for its dedicated account representatives and proactive technical support with knowledgeable staff. Technical support is consistent, responsive, and helpful but varies based on staff expertise. Seamless interactions occur when contacting the support team. Challenges include delays and resolution times due to international time zones and support levels. Most customers report satisfaction with support services, noting rapid response and effective problem-solving, especially when utilizing premium support options.

Deployment

The initial setup experience for VxRail was generally straightforward, though experiences varied. Some setups required technical expertise, especially with networking, while others found it easy with Dell's support. The process often involved completing a spreadsheet and generating a JSON file. Setup time ranged from hours to a few days, influenced by configuration complexity and node count. Many appreciated automated processes and integration, though some encountered initial challenges requiring professional assistance.

Scalability

VxRail offers impressive flexibility, easily accommodating expansion by adding nodes. Users mention its seamless scalability, supporting a range of environments from small setups to extensive configurations. While generally straightforward to expand, planning is advised for large-scale additions. Organizations find it suitable for diverse industries. Despite some perceived limitations compared to other options like Nutanix, VxRail remains a strong choice for growing businesses, praised for its adaptability and reliable performance in various scenarios.

Stability

Users report VxRail as highly stable, reliable, and resilient. Issues are minimal and often resolved with updates. Stability ratings frequently reach 8 to 10 out of ten, reflecting strong performance and minimal disruption even during hardware failures. Many emphasize that VxRail exceeds previous solutions in stability and praise its ability to perform well without significant downtime. While some mention isolated problems, they highlight effective support and improvements over earlier versions.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our VxRail Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Retailer

Educational Organization

University

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Insurance Company

Media Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Transportation Company

Legal Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Performing Arts

Pharma/Biotech Company

Outsourcing Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Engineering Company

Consumer Goods Company

Logistics Company

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Learn more about VxRail

VxRail is a single turn-key appliance that is a validated, fully integrated, pre-configured, pre-tested solution and offers non-disruptive scaling. Every node includes compute storage and IO. All-flash configurations can contain between 12-28 cores per node. The storage capacity options run from 7.6 TB to 19TB with either 256 GB or 512GB of memory. Hybrid appliances may have 6-20 cores per node, 3.6 TB to 10 TB of storage capacity, and 24GB to 256 GB of memory.

VxRail offers high availability fail-over, an active/active stretch cluster, and VSan Kernal integration. VxRail is a power-edged server with APIs built on automation. There are over 15 million different combinations of hardware available with VxRail. VxRail provides a simple, cost-effective solution that solves a large range of use cases. Additionally, you also get a mixed workloads automated system that is backed with fully automated system updates, and complete end-to-end lifecycle management all in a single two-rack appliance.

VxRail is a value-added suitable solution for distributed small to mid-sized enterprises, remote offices, private clouds, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). You choose the deployment option that best suits your organizational needs, from appliance to integrated rack offerings, with or without networking, and it will be delivered to you, ready to deploy out-of-box.

If you know VMware, you know VxRail.

VxRail Features and Benefits